Here is another obscure Italian saying that has no equivalent in English.
Campa cavallo che l'erba cresce literally means "live, horse, because the grass is growing." This is taken from a story in which a man has a horse that is exhausted and about to (how shall I put this?) croak. To encourage the horse to go on and not give up he tells the poor animal that the grass around them is growing even as he speaks- implying that the horse will eventually have something to eat.
The saying (often abbreviated to just "campa cavallo") is used to comment upon empty promises, or situations where a favorable outcome is difficult or not forthcoming at best.
Some examples in context:
Mi presti mille euro? Ti ripago quando trovo lavoro.
Eh, campa cavallo!
Can you lend me a thousand euros? I'll pay you back when I get a job.
Yeah, right.
Col nuovo governo andremo in pensione prima.
Campa cavallo che l'erba cresce.
We can retire earlier when the new government takes charge.
Sure we can!
